This invention relates to material working tools and more particularly to a tool for finishing grout material and the like in the joints formed between tegular elements applied to a surface.
The construction of tegular surfaces is typical today in the interior/exterior design field, examples of which may be found in many commercial establishments as well as the home dwelling. In the industry, it is typical for those skilled in the art to apply a semi-solid material such as grout or mortar into the elongated, intersecting spaces, i.e. joints, which are formed as a result of applying tegular elements to a surface. In such application, undesirable air pockets near the underlying surface are inadvertently formed and the grout usually acquires a highly irregular surface. It is therefore highly desirable to level off the grout in a manner such that it is compressed and restricted within the joints between the tiles thereby increasing the strength of the tegular surface and its aesthetic appeal.
Tools which have been employed to accomplish this task vary from using the handle end of a toothbrush to tools specifically designed and manufactured for this purpose, achieving respectively varied results. An example of such a tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,854, issued to Groeneveld on June 22, 1976. The '854 patent claims a tool used for scraping and pressing the joint material between tegular elements which comprises a hand gripped handle in connection with a head-tipped portion, the terminal end of which may be moved along the joint between the tiles to press and smooth the jointing material. The single terminal end employed by the '854 patent restricts the amount of pressure which may be applied without dragging the grout material out of the joint and, hence, is not much better at achieved results than the toothbrush handle. A similar device is shown in Design Pat. No. D 249,014, issued Aug. 22, 1978, also to Groeneveld. It is therefore a main object of the present invention to provide an improved grout finishing tool which is simple in both design and use.
A further object is to provide a grout finishing tool which may be moved smoothly across the grout material with one stroke which firmly compresses the grout into the joints.
Still another object is to provide a grout finishing tool which is very smooth and slick in material form and design so as to let the tool slide along the grout surface without marring the tile surface and prohibit dragging of the grout material out of the joint.
A still further object is to provide a grout finishing tool which produces a smooth and concave joint which has increased water resistance and is aesthetically appealing.
Other objects will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.